


bad blood

by Fluoradine



Series: McHanzo Week 2017 [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chance Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, McHanzo Week 2017, Morning/Night, Reconciliation, i use those tags way too much lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 15:50:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11234196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluoradine/pseuds/Fluoradine
Summary: It's been seven years since Jesse McCree visited Hanamura, and the last time he was there, he did something terrible. Now he's come back for a similar reason, but after days of waiting for a hunting partner, he decides to go back to America to suffice. But on his way through the town, he runs into someone he was sure he'd never see again. And by the looks of it, Hanzo isn't too happy to meet him again, either.





	bad blood

**Author's Note:**

> and to think i never published any of my mchanzos before...... anyways, this was inspired by @toiek's vampire mchanzo AU on tumblr, and i think it should fit the morning/night prompt - check our their artwork and the drawings they've done for this AU, it's super cool! and enjoy the fic as always!

The sun was low, barely a thin line hovering above the skyline of downtown Hanamura. It was glowing dark orange, like the embers of a fire about to go out. And in its light, Jesse could see every detail on the man standing in front of him, from his pointed teeth to the elaborate tattoo down his left arm.

Jesse McCree had been heading back to his hideout from Hanamura, the sleepy town he’d been staying nearby for a few days without any trouble. He’d arrived in the country days ago to meet a local vampire for a hunt, since apparently there was no one good left in New Mexico. Hunting in a pair was something Jesse hadn’t done in a while, and he’d almost been excited for the opportunity, but it had been a week now and there was no sign of anyone coming to meet him. He assumed that if they weren’t coming, they were either trying to lure him somewhere or had chickened out at the last minute. Jesse had decided that it would be best to go back home for a local hunt rather than stay any longer. Besides, returning here after all these years felt wrong, especially after what he’d done the last time he’d visited. 

He’d been walking through the outskirts of the city when he saw someone going towards town, just on the opposite side of the street from him. As he kept walking, Jesse saw that the huge shadow he had was from his coat, so long it was sweeping the ground, and his large hat that hid any details of his face. As they got closer to each other, Jesse tipped his own hat, not wanting to draw any attention to himself on his way, but the man hadn’t returned the gesture. Instead, he’d walked faster, knocking into Jesse as he passed, which caused a flask from his belt to fall. Jesse stopped, but he didn’t pick it up. The man rushed past without it, walking briskly as if Jesse had scared him somehow. 

In hindsight, Jesse should have known better than to follow him. While being outside in the dark wouldn’t harm him, he preferred to do his work during the day, when there was less trouble and annoying locals wandering around. But something about the man’s strange clothes and his quick pace had piqued Jesse’s interest. He could tell that whoever this man was, he was dangerous, and wasn’t just going into town for a night shift. But at the same time, it was like he wanted to be followed - like he had intended for Jesse to come after him looking for some sort of answer. Which was exactly what he did. 

The man lead Jesse on a slow and tense chase through the town, behind houses and on top of buildings, through narrows passageways and crowds of locals in shops. Jesse kept out of his sight as he tailed him, keeping his eyes focused on where the man’s metal feet were going instead of trying to get a glimpse of his face. As he kept going, Jesse began to realize that the man wasn’t trying to shake him off - instead, he was leading him somewhere private, where no one else would be able to see them. Jesse should have turned back when he had the chance, but it was too late now. Now, he was in the middle of an alley with a knife pressed to his throat, watching the sun shrink above him and seeing the man’s face for the first time tonight. 

And seeing the familiar face made Jesse’s heart drop into his knees. He remembered who he was - of course he did. 

“Why did you follow me?” Hanzo asked, his voice quiet but threatening. He held the small knife closer to Jesse’s throat, making Jesse gulp at the cold and sudden pressure. His hat was on the ground, revealing his tangled black hair that hid a few grey tufts. His eyes were wide, and Jesse could’ve sworn that he was staring straight through him, and back at what he used to look like the last time they’d seen each other. 

Hanzo Shimada was the reason why Jesse had been skeptical about returning to Hanamura in the first place. Nearly seven years ago, Jesse had followed one of his old friends to Japan to find another pack of high noon vampires, the only ones he could put up with for long enough to hunt with. But Gabe had dropped the idea once he found out that the only vampires in the area were a violent gang, willing to kill even the highest of their own kind to be fulfilled. When Gabe went back to America, Jesse chose to stay instead, remembering a castle hidden in the quiet streets of town that they’d passed through on their trip. There, he’d seen the most beautiful man he’d ever laid his eyes on, and he knew that he couldn’t let him get away. 

Back then Hanzo was twenty-seven, the eldest son in his family. The Shimadas were part of a yakuza clan, and Hanzo was set to take over their empire once he was ready. He’d let Jesse stay with them for as long as he wanted as they slowly got to know each other, Hanzo telling Jesse about his life and training and Jesse telling him about his own. It had been no secret that Jesse was a vampire; the dangerous implications of having one for a boyfriend only made Hanzo more interested. He’d stayed in their house, doing some dirty work for the clan and getting to spend as much time with Hanzo as he liked. It had been the best few months of his life, and if he had the choice to go back and never let their time together end, he would do it without a single thought.

But it fell apart in the end, as most of Jesse’s relationships tended to do. He hadn’t meant for it to happen. He would never have done it if he had fed sometime in the last five months, or if he’d been thinking properly at all, or if Hanzo hadn’t trusted him so goddamn much. But he’d turned him, one day when they were alone in their room, and all clear thoughts had left Jesse for the moment. That had been the last day Hanzo saw the sun, and the last day they saw each other. It took a week for Hanzo to realize what had happened, and he ran once he did, leaving no explanation for any of his family. Jesse was the only one who knew what had happened, and he went back to America right after, weighed down by guilt. He’d taken so much from Hanzo in a single second, the man he’d practically fallen in love with. He’d never hated himself more than he had during that time, and it still felt bad after the worst of the depression was over. 

Years passed. Gabe never found out about any of it, and Jesse eventually ditched his company for a life spent alone. He never heard another thing about the Shimada clan, not even anything about vampires in the country. And after he crawled his way out of his own depression, he forgot who Hanzo was, not wanting to remember the man who’s life he’d destroyed with a single bite. But now he had returned to Hanamura, the place where it had all happened. And somehow they’d been drawn to each other again, though this time it wasn’t love that had done it. It was bad blood. 

“I didn’t know who you were,” Jesse answered, standing still as he was confronted. Hanzo had aged - while the years since he’d turned weren’t visible in his face, Jesse could see them in his eyes. They were so much darker than they used to be. “I thought you were just another local vamp going in for the night. God, Hanzo, if I’d known it was you I would’ve never-”

“Never what?” Hanzo asked, interrupting him. “Never have come back here? Never have greeted me like I was a stranger? Never have followed me for this long, this far? What would you have done differently if you knew my name, Jesse McCree?”

Jesse didn’t respond. He wanted to say a lot more than what he could get out in the moment, but he was much too focused on just looking at Hanzo, and the ways he’d changed in seven years. His skin was paler, more sickly and dead, and his hair was as dark as the night sky. Jesse could hear him breathing, but his chest barely rose and fell. He was not the human he used to be. As Jesse took it all in, he thought that despite it all, he was still the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. A part of him still loved him like he used to, the same part that never forgave himself for what he did. 

“I’m sorry, Hanzo.” he said eventually, shifting his eyes around the alley to avoid looking at Hanzo for any longer. The sensible part of him felt selfish for thinking he was still beautiful, when Hanzo probably thought of himself as anything but.

“That word has no meaning to me,” Hanzo said. He moved the knife an inch off of Jesse’s neck. “It won’t save me. I don’t care if you’re sorry.”

“I know. I didn’t expect you to,” Jesse said. “I just wanted to say it.”

“You are much too late.” Hanzo said. As he snarled the words, Jesse could see a pair of fangs in his mouth, pointed like they had been freshly sharpened. It made his heart drop a little lower into the ground, knowing that he had done this to him. Now that they were meeting again, he had so much to say - how sorry he was, how reckless he’d been on that last day, and how he knew he could never fix any of this but damn it, he wanted to try. It seemed like all the thoughts he’d been repressing for years were surging to the surface, wanting to come out now that they had the chance to. Jesse didn’t know if Hanzo would be willing to hear any of them, or if he’d even get the chance to before Hanzo made good use of his knife. 

They stood in silence for a few minutes, Jesse still glancing around at his surroundings instead of Hanzo. “It’s been a while.” he said eventually, slowly tapping his foot on the ground to make some sort of sound other than silence. 

“It has,” Hanzo said with a displeased sigh. “Too long. You forgot me, didn’t you?”

“Not entirely. You still come to mind every now and then.” Jesse said, and Hanzo suddenly pressed the knife back onto his throat, making him gasp. 

“You care so little about what you did to me that it doesn’t even bother you anymore.” he said, his expression now bitter instead of burningly angry. “I shouldn’t have expected you to care. You didn’t tell me a thing until it was too late, and then you ran. Like a coward. Too ashamed and afraid to face what you’d done.”

“I wanted to come back, Han, I swear-”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I…” Jesse searched for an answer, but found he didn’t have one. “I don’t know.”

Hanzo scoffed. “Of course. I should have expected it.”

“Well, what were you expecting instead?”

Hanzo paused. “That you might pretend to care, at least.” he said, and Jesse saw his expression soften. His grip on the knife loosened again, and he took a deep breath. “That maybe you’d confront yourself and at least try to find me again. I can’t tell if I’m relieved or disgusted now that you’re here.”

“Well, you don’t seem too pleased to me.” Jesse said. He didn’t expect anything else either - of course Hanzo was mad at him. They’d been together for months, and then he’d turned him into a vampire without warning. The turning process was a long and painful one, as Jesse knew. Even after this long, Hanzo might not be a full vampire yet. But still - seven years of pain and suffering with no explanation would surely make anyone angry at the person who’d caused them all of it. 

“I am only surprised.” Hanzo said, still staring through him. “Of course my first reaction is to get mad at you. You left me alone to suffer, and let these thoughts simmer in wait for your return. I’d begun to give up hope that you’d ever come back.”

Hope. That word stuck out to Jesse. Hanzo hadn’t exactly been anticipating his return, but he’d certainly been hoping it would happen. Now Jesse wondered why someone who had hoped to see him again would be threatening to slit his throat in an alleyway. 

“I know you’re mad. But now that I have the chance, can I at least explain?” Jesse asked as Hanzo took the knife away from his throat. The way he was handling it was with an expertise that even after all of Jesse’s practice and skill, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to do it the same. He wouldn’t have been surprised if if was made out of something that could actually kill him. 

Hanzo narrowed his eyes in confusion. “You can’t have much to explain. I know the whole story. You bit me, and it turned me into one of your kind. Vampires. I was younger then, and I should’ve known you would’ve done it eventually. You couldn’t stay with me as I was. So your shame made you go back to your own country, not even turning a thought to what harm the process would cause me. Do you have any idea how painful the first year was, Jesse? The first month?”

“Course I know. But you’re wrong.” Jesse said, taking a free breath now that he had no weapons pressed against him. 

Hanzo raised a brow. “Enlighten me, then.”

“I did turn a few thoughts to you after you ran,” Jesse began to explain. “More than a few. You should’ve seen what a wreck I was when I first went back, Han. I was all alone, black-out drunk most of the time, starving, bleeding, exhausted, and yeah, ashamed. I thought about what I’d done and it made me sick to my stomach. God, you didn’t actually think I bit you on purpose, did you? You must’ve thought you had it all figured out after you ran away. No time to think straight when you’re turning, is that right?”

Hanzo raised the knife again in warning. “Now is not the time to be smart with me, Jesse. I’ve been through more in the last few years than you would’ve ever accounted for.”

“I never accounted for any of it in the first place, Hanzo. The bite was an accident. I was an idiot, a damn fool. If I’d been any smarter I would’ve gone on a hunt before, or fed by myself instead of just losing control like that.”

“I really don’t care that it was a mistake, Jesse.” Hanzo said. “That won’t cure me. Nothing will.”

“I know. You think I wanted that to happen to you? God, I loved you so much back then, I still…” Jesse trailed off as he saw Hanzo close his eyes. 

“Now is not the time for that, either.” he said again, his tone much quieter than before. He looked down at the ground, taking a small step away from Jesse as he did. Jesse knew the way he was acting. There was something he wasn’t saying, and he knew what it was. 

“So, you’re still living here?” Jesse asked, not wanting to press Hanzo to admit that he still had feelings for him too. 

Hanzo frowned. “Smalltalk. That is all you have for me, Jesse?”

Jesse scoffed. “Well, what else am I supposed to ask you about? ‘Gee, Hanzo, sure has been a while, how’s your family’s criminal empire doing? Get any good blood lately? Miss the sunlight at all?’”. 

Hanzo looked at Jesse as if he’d said something completely dense. “My family is dead,” he responded with, putting the knife back carefully into his belt. “The elders disappeared five years ago after…” He trailed off, and Jesse saw him clench his now-empty fist. “After my brother did. The empty castle is my home, now. It is much too large for me on my own, but it is still somewhere.”

“Just because you’re a vampire now doesn’t mean you have to go all-out dramatic, you know. My place is pretty casual.” Jesse said, and Hanzo sighed. 

“You say the word like it is nothing. Vampire. Like it’s a new job. Not a curse.”

“I know. It’s just because I’m used to it,” Jesse admitted. “Terrible as it is, it all becomes normal eventually. Hunts, the night life, feeding, everything. It gets more bearable as time goes.”

“I assumed that was what you were here for, as well,” Hanzo said. “A hunt.”

Jesse nodded. “I was supposed to meet someone. But they never showed,” He stopped as he remembered the whole reason why he was even here in the first place. “It wasn’t you, was it?”

“What was?”

“The local day vamp that was supposed to hunt with me. Was it you?”

Hanzo shook his head once. “I have never spoken to another of our kind. I do not ask for company on my killings. They are necessities that only I have to know of. And I haven’t gone out in the day in years. Even at sunset I have to wear all this just to walk outside,” He gestured to the long coat and dark clothes he had on. “I haven’t seen the morning in so long.”

Jesse didn’t say anything as he saw Hanzo clench his fists once more. He was trying to think of what to say next to that would, at least, fix something. There was so much he wanted to tell Hanzo, but none of it seemed right. If he told him he was sorry, it wouldn’t matter. If he told him he still loved him, Hanzo wouldn’t care. Neither of them would admit that they had always wanted to meet again and say everything they had to say. Hanzo was clouded by shock, anger, fear, and a secret happiness that was obviously confusing him, and Jesse was just as lost. There was no right way to have this conversation, and there was no clear answer to get from it. Just bits and pieces of everything they needed to fix if they wanted to know each other again, this time as the same creature.

“Hanzo. I really am sorry.” Jesse said eventually, but Hanzo shook his head again. 

“I know you are. I know. But it doesn’t matter. Not because it is already done, but because you don’t need to be,” he told Jesse. “I don’t know what I am supposed to tell you, if I should be angry or if I should be grateful. The thought that you might return to me someday has sat with me for a long time. I’ve had time to think about everything I want to say, but I still can’t pick just one. I should be sorry.”

“Sorry for what? For being confused? You don’t need to be sorry for that.” Jesse said, but Hanzo shook his head again. 

“No - not just for that. For blaming you for all the pain I went through. So much of it is my own fault. I know it wasn’t just your bite that made me this way. This is my punishment. I have done so many things,” Hanzo said, taking a sharp breath. “So many things I would never have done before. I’m not myself anymore. My family didn’t disappear on their own. My brother didn’t die because of anything natural. I let everything consume me, all the anger, fear, and look at what I’ve become. Despite everything I blamed you for, I can’t help but feel like it’s all my fault.”

“No. It’s mine,” Jesse said, grabbing Hanzo’s hand as he did. “I did this to you. I deserve all the hate you have for me, every curse and bad thought you’ve got for me. You might have let it take over, but I was the one that pushed you to. I hate myself for it, too. I loved you so much, I never wanted to hurt you. But I did it anyway, and I left. You’re right, and you’re right to hate me.”

“I don’t hate you, Jesse.”

Jesse stopped. “You don’t?”

“Hate solves nothing. Hate won’t let me see the sun again. It won’t bring my family back. I cannot hate you. But I cannot forgive you. I am…” Hanzo’s breath hitched, and he stopped for a few seconds. “I am still accepting this. I don’t want to. But I must.”

“So why’d you run away from me? Why’d you put a knife to my throat?” Jesse asked, confused as hell. 

“I was afraid. I never thought I would ever see you again. And the way you showed up so inconspicuously, like you were just another traveller passing through…you took me by surprise again.” Jesse swore he could see the tiniest curl of a smile on his face, a sign that he still remembered something good about him. “I am angry with you for everything you did and didn’t do, yes, but…I can’t bring myself to hate you. I tried for so long. I blame myself just as much for the thing I am now. If I truly hated you with all my heart, you would be dead by now.”

“This whole thing is such a mess,” Jesse said, still holding Hanzo’s hand and trying not to lace their fingers together. “We can’t run around in circles here. You only hate yourself because of what I turned you into. I know you’re confused. I know it’s hard to get through. It’s hard as all hell, Hanzo, I know. Seven years is nothing in the long run - it hurts today, and it’s gonna hurt tomorrow. If you wanna blame me, I deserve it. If you wanna blame yourself, I can’t stop you. None of this is black and white, and if we wanna get anywhere close to figuring it out we can’t keep anything secret.”

“I know. I want to understand,” Hanzo said, biting down on his lip as he did. “There is so much I want to tell you. If you cared I would try to explain everything - why I ran tonight, why I threatened you, why you’ve made me so weak now.”

“It depends. Do you think I care?”

Hanzo waited. “I want you to. I wanted you to remember me. Remember who I was and what happened. I wanted you to come back, no matter how much I tried to pretend I didn’t. I wanted some sort of guidance, someone who could explain all of this to me. You left me alone, terrified and hurting, and I turned into a monster that couldn’t remember myself. And then you forgot.”

“Not all of me forgot about you, Hanzo,” Jesse said, shaking his head. “If I had, I wouldn’t be talking to you. Now I know that you’re still here, I don’t want to leave again. I want to help you, make up for everything I didn’t say before. God, you must be so confused about being a vamp, anyway-”

“I am,” Hanzo said. “I know enough about living as a vampire to survive. Enough to let it define me. But not enough to accept it. Any of your guidance would be appreciated. You are much more experienced, after all.”

Jesse nodded, understanding what he meant. “Well, whatever it is you want, I’ll give it to you. You’re still new to this, despite how long it’s been. I could give you a hand in figuring the rest of this shit out, if you want. I’ll stay, if you let me. We can give this another chance.”

Hanzo’s eyes widened. “You…that isn’t a trick, is it?”

“Not at all. I owe you a lot, anyways. The least we can do now is try to clean up some of this mess.” Jesse readjusted his hat on his head, and let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. As if all at once, the alley became pitch black, and Hanzo’s features became even clearer in the dark. His eyes were no longer angry or scared. He looked almost relieved, now that he’d admitted that he still cared about Jesse. And for the second time that evening, Jesse thought that he was more gorgeous than any other man in the world, human or vampire. 

“I assume you’re heading out for the night. I could come with you, if you want-” Jesse said, but Hanzo grabbed his hand to stop him. Their fingers locked together, and Jesse realized that they were both freezing cold. 

“No. I will skip this night. We have far more important things to do than hunting.” he said, and Jesse knew that he would soon get the chance to say everything he needed to say.


End file.
